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The Best Chocolate Ice Cream You'll Ever Have

Last week, I began a new food series all about how to make killer versions of classic dishes. Well, get psyched, because Cenk from Cafe Fernando reveals how to make the best chocolate ice cream ever (without an ice-cream maker!)...The Best Chocolate Ice Cream You'll Ever Have
By Cenk from Cafe Fernando

Ice cream is to me what water is to others. It is the source of my life. My body needs at least two scoops of ice cream everyday to function properly. At times, ice cream covers more than 70% of my tongue's surface, and at this rate, I'm afraid 60% of my body will be ice cream very soon.

My answer to the childhood question, "If you were stranded on an island, name three things..." had always been: Unlimited supply of chocolate ice cream, a giant freezer and a spoon. I still had my manners. But if you asked me now, I would ditch the spoon and be torn between almond toffee and hand-rolled cones with chocolate-filled tips. Unlimited supply of each, of course.

I want to you to know how serious I am about chocolate ice cream, because "The Best Chocolate Ice Cream You'll Ever Have" is quite a statement. I don't take this challenge lightly.

For me, the most important qualities of "the best chocolate ice cream" are creaminess and a deep, intense chocolate flavor. Most recipes will suggest a whole lot of egg yolks to achieve creaminess, but in this case a combination of cornstarch and sweetened condensed milk does a better job. By using sweetened condensed milk, you not only introduce a slight caramel undertone, but also limit the amount of water in the mix. Cornstarch absorbs and holds water. Less ice crystals and a binding agent to hold them together translates into a more creamy consistency. Cocoa powder, vanilla extract and coffee add depth, and a pinch of salt brings out new dimensions of flavor in chocolate.

And here comes the best part: You do not need an ice cream maker for this recipe. In fact, you should not use it, as the mixture is too thick for the machine to handle. You don't need any hard-to-find ingredients like liquid nitrogen, either. You simply pour it into a container, press plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal and place it in the freezer. It never gets icy. In fact, this will also be "The Creamiest Chocolate Ice Cream You'll Ever Have."

In a heavy-bottomed large pan, whisk sweetened condensed milk, whole milk and heavy cream until combined. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Take off heat and add the finely-chopped chocolate, cocoa powder, instant espresso powder, vanilla extract and salt. Whisk until the chocolate melts and the cocoa powder is completely dissolved.

Mix cornstarch and cold water in a bowl with a fork until completely dissolved, and add to the ice cream base. Whisk until combined.

Place the pan over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly, scraping the sides and the bottom of the pan to prevent burning, until thickened, for 8-10 minutes.

Transfer to a heatproof bowl and set aside, uncovered, to cool for half an hour. Don't worry if a skin forms on top. When the bowl is cool enough to handle, cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly--preferably overnight--in the refrigerator.

Before transferring the chilled ice cream to the freezer, stir or whisk to dissolve the skin on top and scrape into a container. Cover with plastic, this time pressing the wrap against the ice cream to create an airtight seal; put the lid on (or cover with an additional layer of plastic wrap) and freeze until firm enough to scoop.Doesn't this look mouthwateringly delicious? Would be a slam dunk for a dinner party. Thank you so much, Cenk!

oh. my. word. Is that a wee bowl of heaven I see?! Why, yes it is :) Too bad my kid can't have dairy, you can only substitute so much for dairy and it's NEVER the same! :) May have to make this when he's asleep...

Holy. Moly. I love chocolate. I love it. Chocolate anything. Chocolate everything! And chocolate ice cream? I will devour a pint like it's nobody's business in one sitting. Making the stuff though? I am a bit dubious of my own skill, but this sounds like an activity worth trying if only to taste the best chocolate ice cream ever, once!I am also a huge fan of dark chocolate and from that picture it looks seeeeeriously dark :) mmmm...love it!

I also wanted to comment on your post about weaning-related depression. Wow. Thank you Miss Joanna for such a lovely post. As someone who has struggled with anxiety and seasonal depression at times, for much of my adult life, it always always so helpful to know others have had similar experiences.

I feel like I came late to the Cup of Jo party (just this past year) but I am so glad to have found you! xo

oh! this looks delicious! But let me tell you... there's is an small Gelatteria near Vatican City, and there is the best ice cream in the whole world.

I've lived in London, Paris, Bruges, Amsterdam, Seville, NY, Mexico D.F.,Madrid and Barcelona and nothing I've tasted in this cities compares to that ice-cream... I lived for 3 months in Rome and I gained a few pounds thanks to it!!!!

Oh my gosh! This looks divine! I love chocolate....it's my ultimate weakness. I had chocolate lava cakes last night. I hope I don't get too big in my last stretch of pregnancy otherwise both me and baby will both be big together! Haha.

I made this last night and today it is finally ready to eat. Problem is, it's more of a chilled fudge than it is ice cream. I can pick up chunks of it with my fingers without ice cream melting onto them. What should I do differently?

Don't get me wrong the IC photos look awesome and it's an interesting idea not to use an IC machine....I'd be willing to try it to see how it turns out! Cenk's are great, so I'm sure this will turn out as well!

I made this yesterday and had the same problem as fiendbyname. As far as a frozen fudge or ganache-type thing goes, it's okay, but there was nothing "ice cream" at all about it. I made precise measurements (by weight) and followed the instructions to the letter. Not sure what I should have done differently ...

I also made this last night (too good looking to pass up!) and it came out fudge-like and does not melt or give. I followed the recipe precisely, and can only guess that maybe cooking the base for 8 minutes was a bit too long? The good news is it tastes wonderful...

Hi Jo, great blog and I love this post! That gooey choccy photo really sold it to me. I made the ice cream this week and it was good. I think I need to reduce the cooking time and the cornflour though as it was uber fudgy! http://thingswemake.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/my-first-ice-cream/

Made a batch this weekend, and it did not turn out as ice-creamy as i wanted. more like super thick, super rich chocolate pudding.don't know if cooking the mixture for less time would help? still delish, though-- we added some mashed raspberries to offset the intensity of the chocolate.

I was dreaaming of this since last week and just cooked it today.. Unfortunately I will have to wait until it's freezing to tell you how did it work for me. So anxious! In Brazil we don't have "heavy milk" so I used milk with extra butter, hope it doesn't change much. This recipe is closely related to our simplest dessert recipe, by the way, "brigadeiro"... maybe you should try it someday...

I made it again...with revised cooking times and quantities to suit UK ingredients (and my pernickety taste) it turned out much better this time. http://thingswemake.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/mocha-fudge-ice-cream/

Thanks for the inspiration. I would never have dreamed up this recipe on my own.

Oh MAN. That looks delicious. Looking at the recipe, though, it looks like a frozen rich chocolate pudding. Accurate? (Not that there would be anything wrong with that... that sounds insanely delicious... but it might account for it not fully melting for the previous poster, just softening. The sweetened condensed mixture may also have cooked too long.)

This picture is mesmerizing I was going to make it right now but no heavy cream so I'm on my way to the store one thing cornstarch shouldn't take 8 minutes to do its thing especially the amount used and I'm going to use semi sweet chocolate bittersweet is to much I can't wait to make it!

made this for a dinner party and, like everyone else who tried it, i was disappointed at how un-ice-cream-like the finished product is. it's tacky and gummy, like very cold frosting. interesting but still a major bummer!

I just put it in the fridge, it tastes so good, i kept trying it throughout the process of making it although i did whisk it on the stove for too long, This was also very simple to make and i had everything already at home.

Some may not have enjoyed this, but I thought it was heavenly! This coming from an ice-cream consumer much like yourself! So rich and creamy...I found your post when I followed a link from one you inspired at Sugar Rush. Thanks for sharing!

I made this last night and it turned out like fudge, not ice-cream at all. A super tasty fudge, but no ice-cream for sure. I am sure it's because of cooking the base too long, and I didn't even cook it for the 8-10 minutes that the recipe calls for, I only cooked it for 5!!! All out of sweetened condensed milk now, so when I get more I will attempt this again and only cook the base for 2-3 minutes.

Yeah just made this and its more like a fudge. 8-10 minutes of cooking the base is WAY too long. I think like two minutes would have been better. Super bummed because I have a bunch of guests arriving soon :( But I will try again!!!

OMG! This is porn to me. Sweet sweet porn ;) Once I found this, I had to make it but I didn't have any cream so I just used milk and some old lindt dark chocolate, and it came out so well (and this was my first ever time making ice cream). Between my sister and I, we finished it in two days. Thank YOU!p.s i'm making another batch today with some old godiva ;)

I tried your recipe yesterday and it turned out amazing! I substituted some 3/4 can of Dulce de Leche diluted in several spoons of hot milk and also the heavy cream with milk and butter. Thank you so much for sharing this :)